1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrostatographic apparatus, such as an electrophotographic copying apparatus or a printer, small-sized and light-weighted.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventionally, the electrographic copying apparatus was heavy and large-sized, so that transportation thereof required two persons.
Therefore, recently, a small-sized and light weight electrographic copying apparatus has been developed, which is 20 kg or less in weight and transportable by only one person. Such electrographic copying apparatus usually is adapted to horizontally slide an original support plate for scanning. The copying apparatus of original support plate sliding type, when promoted to miniaturization and light weight, has the original support plate slided outwardly from the body of copying apparatus so that the originals larger in thickness, when intended to be copied, largely weigh the original support plate sliding outwardly from the body, or are placed to exert pressure to the plate, thereby having had a fear that the side counter to the sliding out side of the plate may lift and the body may inclined. Furthermore, the original support plate, which usually is made of glass, inclines while being out of the body, thereby causing a breakdown of a glass plate when the original support plate hit the pedestral of copying apparatus.
Also, the conventional electrographic copying apparatus has at four corners handles capable of horizontally projecting and retracting, so that two persons each grip the two projecting handles to lift the apparatus for transportation.
While, an electrographic copying apparatus recently developed small-sized and lightweighted is transportable by one person, but he must hold up by his both hands the copying machine at both side of the bottom thereof, which has not been easy to transport.
The copying apparatus provided at one side wall of the body with a handle is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-11474 (1981), which is not an original support plate sliding type. The copying apparatus of the original support plate sliding type, when provided with the handle at one side wall in the sliding direction of the plate, is transportable by one person while gripping the handle by his one hand. In this case, there is a fear that when he lifts the copying apparatus through the handle kept upwardly, the original support plate is intended to slide vertically to fall down along the body of apparatus, thereby requiring lock means for the original support plate. However, in a case where the person forgets to lock the original support plate, or the locking means is broken, the original support plate may fall down and lead to a breakdown thereof because of being ordinarily made from glass.
Also, in a case where the handle is provided at a side wall reverse to that mounting a sheet feed cassette, the cassette should be removed from the body during the transportation because when the copying apparatus is lifted keeping the handle upward and leaving the sheet feed cassette attached, there is a fear that the sheet feed cassette falls down to lead to its breakdown.